Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Home Office
Monday 5th January 2026

(3 days, 20 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Jess Phillips Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Jess Phillips)
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Happy new year, Mr Speaker.

The violence against women and girls strategy is absolutely for every woman and girl in our country. There are specific problems faced by people in rural communities, and I will gladly work with the hon. Lady and others from rural communities to get that right.

Kim Johnson Portrait Kim Johnson (Liverpool Riverside) (Lab)
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Happy new year, Mr Speaker.

Does the Minister agree that far too much resource is being spent on exceedingly heavy-handed policing of peaceful protests, which is likely to increase with plans to restrict protests based on their supposed cumulative impact, as planned in the Crime and Policing Bill?

Sarah Jones Portrait Sarah Jones
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No, I disagree with my hon. Friend on that. Policing protests is always a balance that we have to get right: we have to respect the right to protest, but we also have to ensure the police have the powers they need to tackle issues and ensure that protests can happen peacefully, as they have done for so many years in this country.